Understanding the Beat
by Ayuki Holmes
Summary: What is a heart? What function does it have? Why does it keep on beating, even when I don't want it to? Can I understand this, the human heart beat? Can I? Will I?
1. Prologue: The Final Thought

You know the drill... don't own Bleach or Soul Eater, or otherwise it'd be a new world I'd mesh in to make these two awesome series become more... awesome than awesome. XD And thanks to Zaru for helping me out and being my beta reader... So, okay, it's on with the show! XD

* * *

_Prologue: The Final Thought_

_It is generally understood that a beat, a single heart beat, can be heard by everyone. Even the most cold-hearted creature can hear it in spite of their own denial._

In the midst of the duel, Ichigo stood there, panting. It was obvious that he was beyond fine. Bruises, cuts, blood... it was plastered all over his body. His opponent, Ulquiorra... he looked fine. Other than the horn and the other missing limbs from his body... well, not exactly. Both of them were in heavy combat, and both Uryu and Orihime were horrified to see what just happened a few moments before. After that blast that was directed at him and the commotion that occurred after it (especially with Ichigo's so-called 'Inner Hollow' decided to intervene and almost did him a number that was beyond imaginable) it seemed that the fourth Espada had the upper hand. He had the sword, and yet... he wasn't able to walk normally. Almost.

And to make things more awkward than ever, Ichigo presented the opportunity to make things even. Cut off his arm and leg. And his opponent accepted the offer. Ulquiorra had the blade, Ichigo's zankputo, in his hands. It was almost time that Ichigo, the 'trash', should be finished off. He was about to proceed with Ichigo's wish when something burned. Almost like ash. Why? Why the burn? He shouldn't feel such things, and yet... he could feel it, for the first time as a Hollow. Damn it. Damn the woman.

_A cold-hearted creature can hear it in spite of their own denial..._

"What..." Ulquiorra wanted to breathe out loud, but he knew that the last move that Ichigo did made him the victor, no argument needed. He tried to give Ichigo a direct order: kill him. Make it swift. That way, he wouldn't feel _things_. Human things, emotions. He questioned Orihime once why she always had such useless and impractical things, emotions. A Hollow couldn't possibly understand it, and yet he knew, when he spent some time with her, there was some odd conclusion that... that everyone has emotions, including _him_. And Ulquiorra is _still_ in denial about that. Ulquiorra tried to convince him, pleaded... nothing. Just like a Hollow. Damn him. Damn everyone. And damn himself for his human curiosity...

_No one can run away from it, no matter how hard they try..._

As his body turned to ashes, Ulquiorra couldn't do anything, not his regenerative healing powers, to keep his own body. So, he sought for the kind eyes of Orihime, reaching towards him with one hand as she looked at him, sadly, as though she was disappointed in herself. Knowing that he didn't have enough time left, he had to ask her something. It was only a quick question, but it was something that was worthwhile.

_They don__'t want to tell it to you, but, they can understand it... if they only listened to it..._

"Tell me... are you still afraid of me?" he asked as he saw her lips, moving. It was soundless, voiceless just like the wind and the void that he was used to. Nothing. No sound. Nothing that meant something to him. He had no idea what the answer was, but he knew that he was already gone as she tried to reach for his hand. His emerald eyes had indicated it. By the time that he disintegrated away for good, his heart lay there, in the hands of Orihime. As he felt his body being scattered to the winds, his mind began to think. He opened his mouth, as though he was thinking out loud. Damn the woman... he had made him feel like a human.

_The beat goes on and on and on... like the beat of a drum, it calls out to live..._

"I see... this... yes... this thing in my hand... is the heart?" Ulquiorra pondered in his mind as he felt his heart being placed in good hands. He felt the tears of Orihime dripping onto his heart, the cold, icy heart of his... being tear-stained with tears from a human woman. Her... is this what being human is? A heart beat? A single beat? He had no understanding of the beat, oh, no... he needed to know _more_.

_Even an empty creature like them can hear it._

_Even when they don't have a heart, they do. _

_It's in their dreams, their lives. No one can escape from it, even if they tried..._

* * *

It was known, after that battle, that Orihime had placed that heart somewhere in that desert. It was a place that was a dwelling underneath the grounds of that place. Quite suited for his final resting place, since the icicles and the water drips down as Ulquiorra's heart was placed in a wooden box, the interior of red velvet hugging it as though it was meant to keep it warm. No one suspected that Ulquiorra would return to the surface once more. And no-one would have suspected that Ulquiorra's attitude towards humans had changed for the better. Or worse. Who knew?

It would have been at least a thousand years or so later when that box was retrieved by someone. And someone reviving him. There was no idea how or why Ulquiorra was resurrected once more, but he was given a second chance. And this time, he knew that he had to keep Orihime's words, the silent promise between the two of them. As if he had a choice in the matter.

To understand the beat.

The human heart beat.


	2. Beat 1: One Thousand Years Later

Okay, again and again, I will say this: Don't own Soul Eater or Bleach at all or I'd make my own arc where the two worlds meet or something weird like that. So, if you haven't seen anything like that, it's probably because my ideas have been rejected. Again, a big shout-out to Zaru for the encouragement! ^.^ Now, on with the show, people!

* * *

_First Beat: 1,000 Years Later..._

"Ah, there you are, Maka and Soul..."

"Oh, Maka, my _dear_, _baby_ and _beautiful_ Maka, I do hope that he's not..."

_**Reaper Chop!  
**_

Maka couldn't help but roll her eyes at her pervert of a dad as he lay there, blood spurting in all sorts of directions in the Death Room. Lord Death, the giver of the Reaper chop, glared at him before giving an apologetic look to her and Soul. Then, he coughed out loud as he looked at them, the mask being readjusted before he addressed to the two of them. He was standing there, just behind the mirror, the white clouds and the crucifixes planted firmly on the ground as though they were at a graveyard of some sort. Well, it was Lord Death's sort of thing, being a Reaper and ruler of Death City and all.

"Now, you two know why you're here. Again, you two are that close into being expelled from the school since you have... well, collected zero souls," Lord Death began in a pretty blunt manner as the two of them felt despondent. It was true, they almost had it the first time (but Blair had to confess afterwards that she was a cat, _not_ a witch), and now... they failed the second time. Oh, they had the ninety-nine kishin souls, but they accidentally got a rabbit's soul in the process. As a result, it was confiscated. Yet again. Black*Star wouldn't have minded to fail twice in a row, but with these two... they mind.

Soul was muttering about something not being cool in this position whilst Maka felt like... well... she had fallen into the depths of despair. Metaphorically. So far, they couldn't get a soul after the first and second attempt of turning Soul into a Deathscythe. Even with Kid's help, they still didn't get Soul into a Deathscythe. Oh, dear. With a sigh, Lord Death continued, ignoring the pale, depressed expressions on their faces. Spirit managed to get up again, trying to restrain himself from crying or showing any sort of emotion for his daughter that was on a fine line to be kicked out of Shibusen for not trying.

"So, I decided to make a remedial lesson for the two of you. This time, without Black*Star, he seemed to be on his way... well, almost," Lord Death cringed at the thought of him before he put it at the back of his mind. Then, he cleared his throat as he explained the mission, in detail. The mission was, according to Lord Death, was to collect a box in the middle of the Nevada desert, a box that Archane and Medusa wanted so desperately. It seemed that the box had some value to it and their objective at Shibusen was to get that box before they did. It also had kishins that were probably a little higher than their level, but Lord Death had faith in them. Well, almost. As soon as Lord Death finished explaining, Maka had put up her hand, a little pale. Not only they were about to be expelled, but the mission was near impossible to be accomplished, only Kid would be able to comfortably be able to complete it... to his perfection.

"But... er... Lord Death... wouldn't Kid be doing this sort of thing, if Medusa and Archane really wanted it?" Maka asked as Lord Death sighed. By this time, Spirit was about to say something to Maka about not to worry about it and be brave (and something nonsensical) before Lord Death decided to Reaper Chop him the second time, and a third time to make sure that he stayed down for the count. Soul couldn't help but smirk. Two to Soul, none to him. Thank God for that.

"As for Kid, he's out on a mission. On... a secret-secret mission," Lord Death finished off quickly as he chuckled nervously. "Now, run along, I'd imagine that their minions are on their way there," he shooed them gently as the two of them out of the Death Room. And somehow, in their minds, they were so screwed that they had no idea _what_ to do if the possibility of failure arises. No, they even don't want to think like that. Not now. So, as silent as ever, they head out to the desert. As for Spirit, back at that Death Room...

"Be careful, Maka! Don't let that boy hurt you! Don't..." Spirit wailed out loudly as Lord Death did it again. For the fourth time. He was probably lying there, maybe dead from blood loss from the previous chops. Oh, well... at least he didn't have to see his personal weapon streaming into tears and whatnot. Whatever it might be. At least he didn't dote on his son _that_ often.

_**Reaper Chop!**_

"Sometimes, I think you have to stop clinging onto her... it's no wonder she doesn't bond well with you..." Lord Death muttered under his breath as he shook his head. Really, his personal weapon needs to stop worrying about Maka so much...

* * *

Meanwhile, a hooded woman of child-like proportions gazed into her crystal ball, frowning as she watched the Mizune sisters, Free and Eureka making their way to the caves of that resting place known as Ulquiorra. She grinned as she readjusted her clothes to make herself more comfortable.

"I just hope that they will reach there in time. I think they're in the way. I should deal with those two first, I think they might have heard it through my sister. How interesting in how the boat leaks, it was luck that they got the wrong set of information from me," Medusa chuckled as she sat there in that quiet castle of hers, the blocks suiting her well. She was planning, planning for her next move. If she was able to get his alliance, then... things would get a lot more interesting from there onwards. Not only one threat was established quite clearly, but a second one was looming over them.

The fourth Espada they call Ulquiorra.

* * *

The dust from the sand blew at a fast rate as Soul and Maka rode their way to the caves as Lord Death described. It was nothing but clifface and the entrance was dark. Not to mention the 'caution' sign dangling across the entrance. Great. Not only they were about to die by kishins that were beyond their levels, but there were possibilities that the caves might be their own doing as well. Just great.

"Man, this is so not cool," Soul sighed loudly as Maka waved it aside, not bothered to bring out her infamous Maka chop on Soul again. She was too worried about her expulsion from Shibusen and she didn't want to let her mother down. She adjusted her black coat and motioned for Soul to come along.

"Either way, we have to do it. Come on Soul," Maka sighed as they had no other choice but to enter the caves. They could feel the dust kicking up a storm as the two entered inside, with a flash light. As soon as they were safely inside, Maka and Soul walked forward, not knowing what would happen next. They hoped that they wouldn't meet any kishin as of yet, but if they could defeat them, great.

Unfortunately, Medusa was right. They were the wrong caves that contain Ulquiorra's heart.

However, Fate had to intervene. Ulquiorra's heart was one thing, but his body was another. Rather, his Soul. It was encased in ice, the perfect sphere of ice that was crafted by anyone. Soul and Maka were surprised at this, a Soul that was encased in ice. Even though Soul didn't receive the power of Soul Perception, but he could see this soul, somewhat.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're in the wrong cave? And why this soul here is evil? Not cool at all, we're wasting time here," Soul muttered out loud as Maka found the strength to do this. And this time, it was a very large hardcover of the encyclopedia. The volume was so thick that one could have mistaken it for a large marble stone from the stone quarry.

_**Maka chop!**_

"I think this soul might help us locate the box. I think this is what Lord Death was after. It's just that it's in two places. So, we might have a chance," Maka pointed out as Soul rubbed his head, tenderly. He hated that. And he hated the fact that Maka is still stubborn and always is. With that, Soul had to sigh. The weapon hoped that Maka was right. Somehow, he had a feeling that she was going to prove him wrong. Damn the woman.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eureka and Free, along with the Mizune sisters, had found the box that Medusa directed to them. They were chuckling with glee as they looked at the box, no keyhole or lock on that box. Free sighed as he looked at the box, disgruntled.

"Why Medusa asked us to get this box is pointless to me. It doesn't tell us what it contain inside," Free sighed as Eureka rolled her eyes and took it from him. She made sure that she kept it safe from harm, making sure that nothing happened to it. She had an idea what it contained, Medusa gave a hint or two to her before they headed out to this desolate place in Nevada to get the item. As for Archane's soldiers, well... let's say that they were nowhere near it.

"Nevertheless, we have to get back to Medusa before..." Eureka began, but she could see Maka lunging at her, the scythe held in her hands as Eureka squeaked. At once, Free had to block between Eureka and Maka, making sure that the box was unharmed. So, it _was_ deemed important after all. Knowing that Medusa had some good intentions for the box in their hands, Free decided to fight whilst Eureka escapes from the caves. It was a good idea at the time.

"Okay, we're going back now!" Free concluded quickly as the Mizune sisters tried their best to distract Maka and Soul from getting that box. The fight was fast and furious, Soul and Maka putting on the pressure on the two opponents and almost pushed them over to the edge. They almost had enough, so they decided to do Soul Resonance.

Note to self, Maka and Soul: not a good idea to do it in the caves. In case if something happened.

"Soul Resonance!" At once, they had Witch Hunter. And much to Soul's horror, Maka aimed it wrongly, hitting it at the weakest part of the cave that caused it to rumble loudly. The floor of the caves were about to collapse. Maka and everyone who were in the caves... they were about to be buried alive. Great. Fate decided to mock just about everyone today. And this was one of Fate's tricks. Metaphorically, of course.

"Maka, you idiot! What have you done?" Soul yelled out loud as his image on the metallic scythe appeared to her, angry. Maka felt idiotic, she slipped again for the second time and this time... it was costly.

"Uh... oops?" Maka chuckled nervously as Eureka knew that she had to hurry. As she ran faster, she accidentally tripped over, the box slipping out of Eureka's hands. The box decided to fly, which caused for Eureka to shriek in horror. She had to catch it, fast!

"No, not that!" Eureka screeched out loud as the box landed on the floor with a sickening thump and a crack. It felt like slow motion, but somehow... for some reason or another, Maka had the box that contained the heart. It was in her hands and the sickening crack was the box opening. The soul that lay in Maka's pocket began to glow, melting the ice around it. Then, the contents inside the box began to float. Inside... was a heart. It was in perfect condition for one thousand years, and the soul slowly began to infuse. And this was probably the time when a large hole appeared from underneath Eureka and her allies and fell through it. Oh, great. They were probably about to be sealed under. As for Soul, who returned to human form...

"Come on... we have to take that gross thing and get out of here! Not cool to hang around like this!" Soul warned her as Maka nodded as she took the thumping and beating of the heartbeat and placed it close to her heart as the two of them made their way out, especially through that zig-zag maze of caves that was created a thousand years ago. And all of this time, human-like limbs slowly began to transform around that heart, holding onto Maka's hands as they made their way to the exit. As soon as Soul and Maka heard a large, thunderous crack as soon as they safely made their way outside, they were rather surprised to see a human appearing before them. Or was it? His unusually pale skin, black hair and emerald eyes were something new to them. Especially the hole in the middle of his chest. In another words... who was he?

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra blinked at them, as though they were new. He hadn't seen them before and wore such odd clothes. Who were they, what do they want from him? Then, after long periods of thinking, he concluded that he was re-born. A second chance? But, why? He didn't deserve a second chance, he was supposed to be evil and supposed to be ruling over Soul Society and all of that... where was Aizen, for a start? The leader that he followed... sort of. Where was he, and why was he going to be tormented all over again? That damn woman... he looked at the two humans in front of them, as though they looked familiar. Or do they? He shook his head. No, he couldn't recognize them, even if he tried. His first words were legendary, though. Very legendary. Not sociable, but legendary.

"Why?"


	3. Beat 2: A Catch by any other means

Okay... sorry about the long wait and thank you all (and you know who they are!) for reviewing, favoring and loving this! I am really honored to do this, seriously... It's a great motivator to make me write a lot more... and as always, thank you Zaru for being my beta and the cheer squad. XD And... I don't own Bleach or Soul Eater... otherwise, I'd have a live version of these two great shows... who wouldn't want it? XD But however, it's not going to happen. XD Anyways, on with the show!

* * *

_Second Beat: A Catch by any other means..._

"Ouch..."

Eureka, Free and the Mizune sisters fell down to the caves underneath them all right. As the thunderous crash continued, Free had a spell up his sleeve, which luckily saved them from being crushed by the rocks below.

"Wolves, wolves, wolves... Dome barrier shield!" Free yelled as a large, green dome quickly formed around them and pushed the rocks and debris aside, pushing it to the walls before everything stopped. They landed on the hard ground below, but not enough that one would considered it as 'death'. It was the luck that helped them through this one. However, this failed mission had something good out of it: they have something that those two meddling brats haven't got. The key. Medusa had given it to them before they headed out to the deserts of Nevada so they could unlock that power from that box, whatever it contained inside. Eureka couldn't help but grin at this: this was their lucky day. At least Medusa wasn't going to punish them... for the meanwhile.

"They may have broken the box open, but if they want access to his powers, and there's no doubt whatsoever in our mind that he would want to get it back," Eureka began as she held the brass key high in the air, "They'll have to get this as well. Too bad," she grinned as Free howled in laughter. Good old Eureka. She always had something up her sleeve if something went wrong. The Mizune sisters jumped up and down in joy as soon as they saw it.

"Oh, yeah... this is a good bargaining chip that I'd love to have. If he wants it, he'll have to come to us _and_ join our side," Free grinned as he looked around. "Oh, by the way... how are we going to get out?" he asked as the whole group groaned. Oh, dear. They may have the vital piece, but they can't get out. Looks like it'd take days for them to get the heck out of the joint and report to Medusa.

* * *

Meanwhile, Medusa was grinning with delight from the dark depths of her own castle. They may have failed the initial mission, but the key was vital to the whole thing. She knew that Ulquiorra was a hollow and a hollow needs his or her powers for them to exist. To have a purpose. And his powers were sealed in a key, thanks to Orihime from a few thousand years ago. Her cautious approach has given them the edge that they were desperately after.

How they got they managed to get that key was through a witch of some sort, apparently brought from a bazaar one hundred years ago. That witch gave it to Medusa, telling her to use it to make sure that Shibusen was absolutely and utterly destroyed. Medusa, being Medusa, kept her word. They were engaged in war with that school and she was more than glad to use it. After all, her sister had Kishin Asura on their side, so... why should she be left out? Hence this plan. She continued to gaze at her crystal in front of her as she hummed softly to herself. She saw the whole conversation from beginning to end, but she was relieved that Eureka had the key in her possession. Good. At least it'd give him incentive, just this time... Medusa would do the negotiations instead of _them_.

"Oh, now this is interesting. At least they do have _some_ brains left," Medusa grinned to herself as she sighed. "But the hard part begins... how am I going to convince him to come on our side? He's going to be suspicious about it at first..." she muttered as she planned her things well. She needs to figure things out before things get out of hand.

* * *

"Why?"

One part of Ulquiorra wanted to scream, whilst another part of him was chuckling with glee. Why not? This was his chance to do whatever he wanted... since that trash named 'Ichigo' and the rest of his trashy company weren't present at the moment. There was nothing, _nothing_ at all to stop him. An opportunity not to be missed. Meanwhile, Maka and Soul's reaction was _not_ so legendary: puzzlement and probably a touch of 'what...?' plastered in their faces. Who was he and why would Lord Death want something like him? Was there something that they missed? Perhaps there was something odd about this person that might be somewhat considered as 'special'. Whatever it is, it seemed that this person didn't want to come with them, it was evident by his body gesture. _No, I'm not coming,_ it screamed out as his black hair and odd mask blew in the dusty wind. Whatever it was, Maka and Soul had to do it... or else.

"Why... what?" Maka asked as Ulquiorra repeated again, the irritation coming up from his face, and somehow, he didn't want to feel it and yet he... felt it. Damn that woman! He knew that he had to keep that promise, but he really didn't want to.

"Why... did you resurrect me? Do you know who I am?" Ulquiorra repeated heavily as he began to frown. He felt normal, but there was something that was wrong. Something that was really wrong. He couldn't point to it, but he ignored it. Meanwhile, Maka and Soul looked at him, puzzled. The gust of dust rushed past them as they uttered the only thing that came from their mouths. The sun was rising high in the sun, almost to burning point as there was a period of awkward silence between them.

"Eh?" they both pointed out as Ulquiorra decided to give them the hint. Well, an obvious hint. Ulquiorra decided to attack them. It was luck that Maka and Soul managed to block it in time, the two facing each other just like the old glory days, as Ulquiorra termed it. Maka frowned as she looked at him with those emerald eyes of hers.

"Watch it, or we'll take your soul, whomever you are," Maka warned him as Ulquiorra snorted. His soul? Who would want a corrupt soul like him? He snorted as though he wasn't happy at all. He rolled his eyes at them as though they were complete idiots. Imbeciles. Reminds him of a certain someone that he didn't even bother to learn the name of, but it was one of his so-called colleagues. First rule in being a Hollow: look after yourself first before the others.

"My soul? Are you aware of who I am and what I can do?" he challenged her as he tried one of his powers out. Nothing. Maka couldn't help but grin: she figured, even without Soul Perception, that his powers were evidently missing. Whatever it was, he wasn't going anywhere. She pointed to the motorcycle as she

"It looks like you have to come with us, whether if you want to or not," Maka pointed out as Ulquiorra sighed and surrendered. There was nothing that he could do at the moment.

"Very well. But if you expect me to be chatty, you are mistaken," Ulquiorra warned her as Maka nodded, motioning for Ulquiorra to get onto the motorcycle. He glared at it as though it was foreign to him. What is it? He preferred to walk than to whatever it was. However, something cropped up. These were the kishins that Lord Death mentioned in their 'last saving grace mission'. Oh, dear. They're going to have a hard time trying to get out of _this_ one.

* * *

"Oh, _my_ Maka is _safe_... Thank _God_, she's _safe_..."

_**Reaper Chop!**_

Spirit was relieved that Maka and Soul managed to get out of it alive, along with a new figure on the scene. Lord Death didn't like the interruption, so he'd Reaper chopped Spirit to see what the hell was going on. Lord Death frowned as he scrutinized the new figure in white, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Interesting... I haven't seen them in a long time, I thought they were out of existence a long time ago as far as my forefathers knew," Lord Death hummed to himself as he got into his 'thoughtful' pose. Spirit, who just got over the Reaper Chop, blinked at him as though he had no clue.

"You mean a hollow? The Anna... whatever they called it," Spirit asked as Lord Death nodded in approval. The masked ruler turned to his personal weapon and explained a little as though he was a novice of some sort and sighed. Spirit could see the discomfort in his face, even though it was covered completely to avoid any humanization of any sort.

"Yes. A thousand years ago, just before the kishin was born, there were beings who also ate human souls. Spirited ones, mind you. These are known as hollows, demons who ate them without a second thought," Lord Death began as he hummed to himself. "There, the purpose of Soul Society and my role of my forefathers was to hunt them down and keep Soul Society in order. The rest," Lord Death felt embarrassed at this, "I don't know." At this, Spirit groaned in disappointment. Great. Now what? Spirit frowned as the two of them looked at the mirror with interest.

"So, this hollow... can he be trusted in spite of his crimes?" Spirit asked as Lord Death shook his head.

"There is a saying that some demons will never learn. But... somehow, there's something odd about him. It looked as though..." Lord Death tried to find the right word for it, "... he's missing something. Can't figure it out," he added cheerfully as Spirit sighed loudly. How long does he have to keep this? Spirit prayed for his daughter's return, knowing that something was about to happen, soon enough.

* * *

"Damn it! There are too much kishins to take on! They're too persistent!"

Maka was swinging them left, right and center and no matter how much they try to stop them, it seemed that they were getting more aggressive than ever. Meanwhile, Ulquiorra wasn't in the least bit interested in helping them out. He glared at the demonic-like monsters and at once, the monsters calmed down and surrendered to him, just like a dog to its master. Ulquiorra snorted as though the two of them were fools. With a hand, he managed to calm them down without even using his powers. Well, lack of powers would have been a more appropriate term, but it was enough to go on. The kishin bowed down, which caused for Maka and Soul to blink in surprise. How on earth did he do that? Ulquiorra gave them that cold, anti-social stare as he pointed the obvious.

"It shows that a hollow show no mercy when it comes to these infernal trash that I see before me," Ulquiorra snorted as the kishins decided to do a hasty retreat as Soul couldn't help but admire the control that he showed in Ulquiorra's emotionless voice. _That_, Soul had decided, was cool. Maka took a deep breath and felt the tension and pressure lifted from her shoulders. Well, _that_ was interesting... a hollow... what was that about? Maka pushed the question aside and motioned for Ulquiorra to come along. No other choice.

* * *

"Yahoo! The Great _and_ Godly Black*Star is going to defeat you now! In _my_ big _and_ godly fashion!"

It was somewhere in the depths of Death City that Black*Star was being challenged by some three star meister for ruining her homework on purpose. It was between her and him, meister to meister. Tsubaki was in the library, doing the rest of her homework, which suited Black*Star well. As that poor three star meister tried to get up from the ground, Black*Star had the opportunity to kick her into the pillar behind her. She felt the full force of his kick and slumped as though she was a rag doll. She was groaning in pain, she looked like she was going to surrender.

Black*Star, the one star meister, was making a ridiculous scene at the front of the school to crow about his victory, but the unknown three star meister wasn't going to give up, yet. She had another trick up her sleeve, and she used that to her advantage. Oh, dear. She shouldn't have done that. Black*Star knew.

"Soul Wave!" Black*Star placed his palm on her stomach and used all of his hyperactive wavelength and defeated her, soundly. She was thrown into the wall, before going limp and almost unconscious. Her weapon, whatever it was, quickly tended to her whilst Black*Star was chortling in victory. He turned away when he saw two familiar figures and one unfamiliar figure. And... this unfamiliar figure was grabbing the spotlight. Maka and Soul motioned for this white-clad figure to come up the stairs to meet someone, much to this figure's disgruntlement. Black*Star frowned. No, they can't take center stage, not him!

"Oi!" Black*Star yelled as he frowned at this figure. The white-clad figure, the one with the black hair and green eyes, looked at Black*Star critically before he snorted.

"Not interested," was all he said as he pushed past Black*Star on purpose. Black*Star wasn't happy about that. No-one ignores the God known as Black*Star! He was about to fight him when Maka stopped him.

"I don't think he's in the mood to fight, Black*Star. Lord Death wants him," Maka explained, rather flatly as Black*Star pouted like a child. He wanted to fight this figure, but he couldn't do much. After all, no-one dares to invoke the wrath of Lord Death himself.

* * *

Oh, for those who are wondering...

"Ah, Big Sis..."

Patty was on the Sofa at Gallows Mansion, calling her big sister to come to the couch. Kid was busy moving things in the garage, making it symmetrical so... they weren't able to disturb him at the moment. Liz, who was placing the big pizza box in front of the table as well as two glasses of raspberry sodas, sat next to her as though she was paying attention to her.

"Yes, Patty?" Liz asked as Patty began to giggle.

"You know about the prank that Kid pulled on you last week?" Patty began as Liz slowly nodded. Oh, yes... Kid pulled a prank (which was rather unexpected of him) when she was depressed about her mother's so-called abandonment. He'd cleared out her whole wardrobe and gave her a symmetrical and rather revealing dress that Liz was forced to wear the whole day until she founded out about his joke. And yes, that included her lingerie. It made Liz pretty peeved and wouldn't talk to Kid for a whole week as a result of his joke.

"Oh, that prank... look, I'm over the joke already, why, Patty?" Liz had no idea until a scream came from below. Patty decided to laugh out loud as she made the point to her clueless older sister more obvious than before.

"I decided to make the entire mini car collection asymmetrical by hiding the perfectly good symmetrical ones," Patty laughed out loud as Liz couldn't help but smile before she covered her mouth to conceal her giggles, in case if Kid heard it from above. After all, he does have supersensitive ears. Liz could see a metaphorical red-steaming Kid storming up to the surface, his anger evidently shown in his face as he yelled at Patty for something called 'being considerate with his condition' or something to that effect. As Patty laughed at him, Liz couldn't help but zone out as he kept on blabbing and blabbing away about symmetry and all of that nonsense.

_That_, she figured out, was the best thing that she could have asked of her little sister.


End file.
